King Ashurbanipal, ruler of the ancient Assyrian Empire from 668 to 627 B.C., [EM1] was a lover and a fighter. He was also a scholar, an empire builder, a king slayer, a librarian, and a lion hunter. The latter is depicted in this astonishingly detailed gypsum panel that was found at the site of the king’s palace.
The panel is eloquent in what it can tell us about the culture of the time. First, it shows Ashurbanipal’s kingly credentials: Lion hunting was part of his military training, a signal of his ability to protect his nation against all that was wild and dangerous. Second, it shows that Ashurbanipal took pride in his image: Previous kings of Assyria had largely been depicted in static poses, but the scenes this king commissioned are dynamic, indicating a leader whose actions could benefit his people.
Finally, look closely at Ashurbanipal’s belt and you’ll see a pair of styluses tucked into it. One of the outstanding achievements of this ruler was his building of the Library of Ashurbanipal, which held an astonishing 30,000 clay tablets, most of them cuneiform texts on religion, medicine, mathematics, history, and law, as well as works of literature such as the Epic of Gilgamesh.
On display, Room 10
